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Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to live sustainably long-term? Or what it’s like to homestead after retirement? We talk about these things and much more on our field trip to the homestead of our good friends Peter and Mary.

This post is part of our Homestead Hangout series. It started out as a monthly installment of videos about getting our rural homestead started. Since then it has expanded to include livestreams and field trips to other homesteads.

Have you ever met someone and thought, “I want to be like them” after your encounter?

When I met Peter and Mary in my early 20s, that’s how I felt.

They were the first people I ever met in real life who showed me that modern homesteading is possible. That was long before I met Kevin and any of us had even heard of the term “homesteading.”

I just knew that every time I visited them, I felt better when I left than when I had arrived.

It just felt good to be around them, at their place, eating their food. I loved talking with them about being human while watching goats and chickens run through their orchard. They inspired me to cultivate my own life of deep satisfaction, delighting in the everyday.

I am so grateful for their presence in my life. I am also happy they were willing to let us film a conversation and tour of their homestead so I can share them with you. I hope you will find as much inspiration from their example as I have.

Video Chapters

Below is an overview of the video chapters. You can watch the video all the way through or in segments. To access the chapters, just go to the Holt Homestead video on YouTube and click the description. You will see the following clickable segments.

0:00 - 0:48 Intro

0:49 - 4:26 Getting started with homesteading

4:27 - 5:48 The hoop house

5:49 - 7:13 Phases of homesteading over the years and their approach

7:14 - 10:54 How the homestead looks, feels and smells

10:55 - 13:06 The multi-purpose barn

13:07 - 17:40 Raising animals and vegetables

17:41 - 18:27 The mini greenhouse

18:28 - 21:36 The challenges of Homesteading

21:37 - 23:24 The orchard

23:25 - 25:34 Advice for those getting started with homesteading

25:35 - 27:20 The raised garden beds

27:21 - 30:02 Enjoying and sharing your homestead

30:03 - 30:34 Wrap up

30:35 - 30:49 Outtake